The following is a set of guidelines for team formation in the Recreational and Recreational Plus division. These guidelines are being put into place to ensure teams are formed in a competitively, equitable process to provide equal and good competition throughout the season.

The four guidelines being used for team formation are below:

1. Grade level

2. School attending

3. Neighborhood zone

4. Player ranking

1. Grade Level:All teams will be formed in age groups consistent with the grade levels in which the students are enrolled. For example, all U6 players are enrolled in preschool.

Following is the matrix for age groups that correlate with grade levels:

AGE GROUP

BIRTH YEAR

*GRADE

Ponies

2014-2015

Preschool

Colts

2013-2014

Kindergarten

Clydesdales

2012-2013

1st grade

U10 (U9/U10)

2010-2012

2nd grade & 3rd grade

U12 (U11/U12)

2008-2010

4th grade & 5th grade

U14 (U13/U14)

2006-2008

6th grade & 7th grade

U16 (U15/U16)

2004-2006

8th grade & 9th grade

U19 (U17-U19)

2001-2003

10th grade, 11th grade & 12th grade

Please note that in the case of the two grade level teams U10-U19, teams will be formed with an even number of lower grade and higher grade players. For example, in U10, Mustang will place an equal number of 2nd graders with an equal number of 3rd graders to the best of our ability in order to ensure competitive equity.

2. School Attending: Mustang will make every attempt to place players with their classmates. That said, the need for competitive equity may outweigh classmates playing together. If there are 20 players from one school, we cannot fit all of the players onto one team so every effort will be made to provide a fair and balanced approach to creating the teams with as many classmates as possible, while balancing the older and younger grade levels for the teams.

3. Neighborhood Zone:In an effort to keep friends playing together at the recreational level, we use the neighborhood areas to form teams. Every effort will be made to keep players from the same neighborhoods playing together. In the cases where there are too many players for one neighborhood to be on one team, the above guidelines will be used to ensure competitive equity and balance while trying to keep as many classmates and friends together on teams. The need for competitive equity will continue to be the guiding factor in team formation.

4. Player Ranking:Players will be ranked through an evaluation process into three categories. 1, 2 and 3. This is completed by professional staff and previous coaches/trainers. These rankings will also be used in balancing out the team formation process. This is to ensure competitive equity in the makeup of all teams.

a. Recreational Plus: All players that participated in the recreational plus in the 2018 season have been assigned a ranking by their professional trainer. These rankings will be used in the team formation process for players in the 2019 season.

Player Protection: Player protections will still apply to age groups. There will be no exceptions to the current rules. Any requested exceptions must be presented to the Mustang Soccer BOD for consideration.

Because there is player protection, especially at the Recreational Plus level, friend and coach requests are not considered. Giving coaches player protection and then allowing coach and friend requests undermines the integrity of competitive equity. If a player really needs to be placed on a team, then that player should be protected from the previous season based on a coaches requests to protect that player (not on a parent or players request to play for that coach or with a player on that team)

Playing down: There will be no playing down an age group or level. Any request for an exception to this must be presented to the Mustang Soccer BOD for consideration.